


I'm Not Your Protagonist (I'm Not Even My Own)

by adolescentlycan, dogloser



Category: Naruto
Genre: Airbender Uzumaki Naruto, Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Alternate Universe - Avatar (TV) Fusion, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Avatar: The Last Airbender References, Bending (Avatar), Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 (Naruto)-centric, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 Bonding (Naruto), Earthbender Haruno Sakura, Firebender Hatake Kakashi, Firebender Uchiha Sasuke, Fluff, Gen, Hatake Kakashi is a Good Teacher, Hatake Kakashi-centric, Humor, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Inspired by Avatar: The Last Airbender, Jiraiya is a Dad, No beta we die like mne, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Third Shinobi War, Team Dynamics, and Kakashi is basically his son
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:20:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24782971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adolescentlycan/pseuds/adolescentlycan, https://archiveofourown.org/users/dogloser/pseuds/dogloser
Summary: Konoha’s Jinchuriki and the last Uchiha need a sensei, and Sarutobi Hiruzen has the perfect shinobi in mind—yet, for the past decade, Hatake Kakashi has been traveling the world with the Toad Sage. Rumor has it that the Hokage nearly went out himself to drag the firebender back, and while some find it amusing, others begin to speculate.Why, exactly, did the infamous Copy Nin want so badly to stay away from the Hidden Leaf?
Comments: 127
Kudos: 309





	1. Coming Home, Eyes on the Horizon

For the first time in just over ten years, Hatake Kakashi set his lone eye on the Hidden Leaf. The flat-faced pug sitting beside him took a sniff at the air, grumbling something about all the new smells.

“Happy to be back, Pakkun?” the Jonin questioned. “I wonder how much it’s changed.”

The ninken sighed, stretching his paws out in front of him. “Won’t know til we go inside. Starin’ at the gate all day won’t give us much.”

Kakashi chuckled, scratching at the back of his head. “Maa, I suppose you’re right…”

And yet the man still hadn’t moved. No doubt lost in his thoughts, as he tended to be. Life on the road with Jiraiya had allowed time for plenty of introspection, but standing at the gates to Kakashi’s home village elicited a different sort of reflection. Ghosts lived here, Pakkun knew, ghosts that Jiraiya had tried to keep at bay. Ghosts, and responsibilities, that Kakashi had been avoiding.

For a few minutes, Pakkun humored the firebending ninja. But a glance at the sky, where a crow circled repeatedly, stirred the dog into motion once more. “Boss,” the pug gruffed, “Hiruzen’s waiting.”

“He’s waited this long,” came the lazy reply, even as Kakashi began to stroll through the gate. Pakkun trotted faithfully by his side. “I’m sure he can wait a little while longer.”

“You haven’t forgotten you’re late to a meeting with the  _ Hokage _ , have you?”

“Mhm.”

“Just checking.”

Pakkun watched as the Jonin steered directly  _ away _ from the Hokage Tower, and the ninken refrained from sighing. His scrunched nose could hardly allow for such excessive breathing, but in the company of a ninja so influenced by the Toad Sage, sometimes the pug just had to sigh. 

For someone who looked like the mirror image of the White Fang, save for the mask, no one in the village actually recognized Kakashi as he passed through, taking note of the new stalls and remembering the familiar streets. It was a small comfort. No one on the road tended to recognize him, either (although the same couldn’t be said for the infamous Sannin). A few cooed at the stubby-legged pug beside him, but that was as much attention as Kakashi received, and he relished in it.

Had Jiraiya not taken him on the road all those years ago, everything would have been much, much different. 

As Kakashi walked the familiar streets of his childhood, he couldn’t help but to recall the last time he had set foot here. Jiraiya at his side, guiding him with a firm hand on his shoulder as they steered towards the east gate. The only time Kakashi had looked back had been when they passed the Memorial Stone. From then on, his eyes had remained forward, and he hadn’t looked back since. 

And, while he wasn’t about to start now, it would be rude to not say hello to his old comrades, wouldn’t it? Kakashi’s feet led him down the familiar path towards the sacred stone. The Hokage could wait a little longer, even if it meant he’d have Pakkun sighing at his antics for the rest of the day.

Conveniently placed on the way to the Memorial Stone was  _ Yamanaka Flowers.  _ Kakashi ducked into the modest storefront, figuring he could be in and out quickly enough to warrant his time. His teammates deserved a gift, after all, considering how long it’d been since he’d last stopped to talk to them. The shopkeeper, a brunette woman he didn’t recognize, nodded at him when he entered before resuming her conversation with the only other customer in the shop. 

“Like I was saying, Ino won’t be working as much anymore. She started training with her sensei today—the Sandaime’s son, can you believe it? Her father and I are just so proud.”

So, Asuma had been recruited to mentor a group as well. Kakashi filed the knowledge away as he pretended to study vases filled with vibrant blossoms. Any kunoichi would be able to recite exactly what each symbolized; he’d have to go off what he remembered seeing and hope he didn’t choose flowers that meant  _ undying passion  _ or  _ joy.  _

“Did you hear about the Jinchuriki’s sensei?” The shopkeeper continued, dropping her voice only marginally. “I heard no Jonin in the village was willing to train him. Lord Third had to send an ANBU to drag someone else here.”

The customer laughed. “An ANBU? I heard it was a dozen messenger birds.”

A thick silence fell over the women as Kakashi approached the counter, a small bouquet of delicate white flowers in hand. “They were monkeys, actually,” he said as he deposited a few coins on the counter. “Hokage’s personal summons, and they only came after at least half a dozen ANBU. But I stopped counting.”

With a polite smile, Kakashi took his leave before either woman could comment on what he’d said. As he continued down the street, he looked down at Pakkun. “Do you remember what time I was supposed to meet with Lord Third?”

Pakkun snorted. “Noon, Boss.”

Kakashi squinted as he looked up at the sky, specifically at the sun already well past its midday peak. “Well, I suppose I’m late already. What’s one more stop?” 

“Kakashi, this is the Hokage. You do remember that, right?” Pakkun repeated. “He sent a dozen angry monkeys after you. Jiraya’s still putting the bookshop back together.”

“Maa, the monkeys did us all a favor,” Kakashi said dismissively, a slight smile forming under his mask. The final straw—the tipping point that had finally convinced Jiraiya it was time for Kakashi to head back to the Hidden Leaf Village—had been when those monkeys set their sights on the display housing Jiraiya’s novels. 

The pair continued their walk through the streets, the crowd gradually thinning as they neared the outskirts of Konoha. They’d walked from one end of the village to the other and would need to return to its center for their visit with the Sandaime.

Lord Third was the last thing on Kakashi’s mind, though, as he solemnly approached the Memorial Stone, fingers tracing the familiar names, an uncomfortable tightness in his chest as he scanned the lines that had been added. If he’d stayed—if he’d come back sooner—would things have been any different?

Kakashi set the small bouquet in front of the stone and looked out at the adjacent training ground. When he’d been a Genin, few Jonin-sensei had made use of this area. That seemed to still be the case. The ground looked relatively undisturbed, the foliage untouched by any scorch marks. This could be a good place to take his team, he decided. 

“Well?” Pakkun asked as they walked away. 

Kakashi sighed. “I know. Can’t keep the old man waiting any longer.”

The pug let out one final disgruntled snort before disappearing, leaving Kakashi alone in the village he used to call home. 

Kakashi steeled his thoughts and headed for the Hokage Tower.

_ You’re just a firebender. Nothing more, nothing less. Just a firebender. _

The Hatake sighed. He couldn’t even lie convincingly to himself anymore.

* * *

Considering Kakashi had been gone for all of a decade, the Hokage’s office had hardly changed—from the window’s perspective, at least. The room looked like a mirror image of when he’d last laid eyes on it, back when he was a measly fourteen. Large stacks of precariously stacked paperwork and scrolls crowded the desk, leaving just enough room for an ink pad, quill, stamp, and a pipe that was likely older than Kakashi himself. 

Sarutobi Hiruzen had been an old man back when Kakashi was named a Genin, nearly two decades ago now. Minato’s appointment to Yondaime had been long overdue. Yet, somehow, Hiruzen had stepped back into the role after his successor’s death and was  _ still  _ leading the village. The gods only knew.

Then again, who else deserved their face carved into the mountain? Who, besides a former Hokage, could have stepped up into the hole Minato had left? From his perch on the windowsill, Kakashi tilted his chin up to meet the gaze of the newest addition. His sensei’s stone eyes stared back.

He could recall the day Minato’s face was carved into the mountain by the earthbenders of the village. It had always been a celebration in the Hidden Leaf, to gather around and watch their shinobi carefully move the mountain rock until their Hokage’s face formed to watch over the village. Maito Gai had invited him to join his peers to watch together, but back then, Kakashi had rejected the offer. He had chosen to keep Rin and Obito company instead. It felt like the least he could do, when they weren’t there to see it for themselves.

A shadow fell over him, and Kakashi turned his head back to the window. Sarutobi Hiruzen stood there, smoking his pipe, looking unimpressed. As the Jonin silently counted the new wrinkles, he lifted his hand in a wave.

“Good morning, Lord Third,” he greeted cheerily. “You’re looking well.”

Hiruzen sighed, smoke billowing out and fogging the glass. “I assume it’s too late to tell you most shinobi prefer to use the door.”

Kakashi was already climbing in through the window. “Well,” the Hatake hummed, dropping silently onto the tile floor, “I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Much later than we agreed,” the Hokage mused, walking back to his desk. “Jiraiya hasn’t let you forget how to use a clock, has he?”

“I got lost,” the firebender replied, carefully choosing not to mention that they hadn’t so much  _ agreed _ on anything. Rather, the Hokage demanded upon his return, lest he face even more furious primate summons.

“Lost.” Hiruzen repeated.

Unhelpfully, Kakashi added, “On the road of life.”

“...I see.” Hiruzen cleared his throat, motioning for Kakashi to take his place across from the desk. The Hokage sat in his worn chair, placing his headpiece on the desk and taking another drag from his pipe. “Well, seeing as you’re already late to meet your new students, we had better do this quickly.”

Kakashi dipped his head in a polite nod and watched as Hiruzen pulled out three different manila folders, all of varying sizes. The largest was for the Jinchuriki, no doubt. The second largest Kakashi assumed was for the remaining Uchiha.

“If you recall,” Hiruzen began, “your team is composed of the Leaf’s Jinchuriki, the Uchiha boy, and a girl from a civilian family. Haruno Sakura—” The smallest folder slid across the desk, maneuvering carefully around the other stacked papers. “—is an earthbender. She performed decently in class and in training.”

Picking up the folder, Kakashi quickly scanned through it, ignoring the bright pink in the upper corner.  _ Pink hair?  _ He mused.  _ Not very subtle, are we… _

Then again, with two raging dumpster-fires for teammates (three, if he included himself), Kakashi supposed the team needed someone mediocre. Or… normal. He should say normal. That was the nicer thing to do.

Kakashi returned the small folder. Hiruzen replaced it with the slightly thicker one. “Uchiha Sasuke,” the Third went on, “is a firebender, like yourself and most of the late Uchiha clan. He’s a more difficult case… If you recall, his older brother was the traitor.”

“Uchiha Itachi,  _ if I recall _ ,” the Hatake drawled, opening the folder. Honestly, just because he’d been absent from the village didn’t mean he didn’t keep up with the times. Jiraiya’s connections scattered about the world greatly helped keep him up to date. “He’s still missing, too, hm?”

Hiruzen frowned, blowing out smoke from his pipe. “He is.”

“Any leads?”

“That’s classified. If you had stayed and become an ANBU, maybe you’d have access.”

Finished looking through the important parts, Kakashi slid the Uchiha’s manilla folder back to the Hokage, replying cooly, “I don’t regret traveling with Jiraiya-sensei. I’ve learned a lot.”

Hiruzen handed Kakashi the last folder. It was significantly heavier than the other two, and it was the student Kakashi dreaded meeting the most. “I trust that your lessons abroad,” the Third said, “will prove useful in training our next generation.”

“I have no doubts that it will, Lord Third,” the Hatake assured, opening up the final folder.

Kakashi had originally assumed that a carbon copy of Namikaze Minato would be staring right back at him from the top corner. And, well, he wasn’t wrong—except, if memory served him right, he had never seen the Yondaime covered in white paint and red marker.

The Jonin sighed heavily.

Maybe he should have risked more angry monkey summons.

* * *

From down the hallway, Kakashi could hear their bickering. As soon as he got close to the classroom door, however, all became suspiciously silent from within the room. Something was happening—or going to happen. Considering the prankster that his sensei’s son had turned out to be, Kakashi could guess.

He opened the door and got all of one foot inside before needing to restrain himself from incinerating an innocent eraser. It thunked softly on his head, dust billowing up from it as a certain loud blond howled in laughter. The girl spouted apologies while the Uchiha looked as if he’d rather be anywhere else.

Truly, the only reason he didn’t turn around right there was that he didn’t think Jiraiya would forgive him if more summons tore up the bookstore.

“First impression?” Kakashi drawled. “I don’t like you.”

So much for being nice.

He herded the children— _ children _ , how did he let Hiruzen rope him into working with  _ children _ —outside and onto a nearby rooftop to make introductions.

For knowing them all of five minutes, he didn’t think he could like them any less, but this team was breaking records at an alarming speed. Sensei’s son was attention-starved; the girl was an airhead with far too many feelings; and the Uchiha was textbook definition of traumatized. Kakashi was comforted only by the thought that, come tomorrow, he could fail them all and send them back to the academy. Then he’d find Jiraiya once more and continue living his absolutely normal life until next year, when Hiruzen would undoubtedly try to wrangle him into taking up the position of Jonin-sensei once again.

Another year of bliss for a few more hours of torture. Yeah, he could do this.

“Sensei.” The Uchiha interrupted his thoughts as the other two bickered in the background. “You’re a firebender?”

_ Sensei _ . Kakashi hoped he didn’t stay around long enough for that title to become familiar. “I am.”

Sasuke clicked his tongue, eyeing the Jonin sharply from over the bridge of his folded hands. “You don’t  _ seem _ like one.”

Before Kakashi could come up with something to say to  _ that _ observation, Naruto piped up, quite loudly. “What do  _ you _ know, idiot?!”

“Oh  _ shut up _ , Naruto! You don’t know anything!” Sakura bellowed, equally as loud if not more so. Then, like a flipped switch, became quieter as she gushed. “Sasuke, y’know, you’re so smart…”

The Hatake let out a soft breath.

Maybe. Maybe he could do this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! this is our first co-authored fic so let us know what you think in the comments! have a good day and stay safe :)
> 
> dog's [tumblr](http://doggoneloser.tumblr.com/) | lycan's [tumblr](http://adolescentlycan.tumblr.com/)


	2. The Bells and the Bento Box

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi is Gordon Ramsey, and this is Hell's Kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is such a long chapter... but we didn't have the heart to cut anything or stop it anywhere else. so buckle up y'all. final wc: 5060.

Given that Kakashi had been “studying abroad” for the past decade with Jiraiya, he really only had one option when it came to where he could spend his night.

The Hatake compound wasn’t so much in disarray as it was in disrepair. Mold slowly crept up the house sidings, followed closely by overgrown vines from what used to be his father’s garden, but at least it seemed that nothing other than nature had disturbed the home over the years.

Kakashi slid open the door, instinctively went to take off his shoes, took one look at the grimy floor and immediately decided otherwise. At least he didn’t need to worry about being rude in his own abandoned home. So he headed inside, very carefully ignoring certain rooms, and made for his old bedroom. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust, as he expected it to be. 

Ah, well, he could make do. He wouldn’t stay long enough to make a difference, anyway.

So Kakashi cleared a small circle of dust from the room, settled in, and called it a night. 

The next morning’s sunlight did absolutely nothing to rouse the Jonin. When he finally awoke, morning had come and gone without him so much as attempting to start the day. His students had likely been waiting for at least a few hours. 

He knew he needed to get up soon. It was just, well, he didn’t particularly look forward to seeing any of them again, even if he’d be able to send them back to the Academy. 

That evening on the rooftop, after the three of them had finally stopped bickering long enough to pay attention to their sensei, he’d decided to at least pretend to be interested in them. “Now I’d like you all to tell us a little about yourselves...your favorite thing, what you hate most, dreams, ambitions, hobbies, things like that.”

And they’d wanted him to go first. 

Luckily, Kakashi was used to rambling without really saying much. It was a skill he’d picked up while traveling with Jiraiya. Besides, people tended to be more interested in the legendary Sannin. A few empty words and it was easy for Kakashi to slip out of the conversation. 

Sensei’s son was next. He was either hungry or had a severely limited scope of interests ( _maybe both_ , the Jonin thought pessimistically); whichever was true, Kakashi couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. The blustering boy, no matter how much he resembled Minato-sensei, was clearly his own individual who Kakashi was quickly realizing he didn’t much care for.

The dramatic Uchiha boy hardly seemed mentally sound—he’d have a promising future in ANBU one day. 

And the kunoichi. She could barely get one word out, though she found her voice when professing just how much she hated her airbending teammate. Honestly, what were they doing at the Academy to train kids now? Kakashi had been more than half their age and twice as competent when he’d started out as a Genin. 

Well, they’d be someone else’s problem soon enough. Kakashi knew they wouldn’t pass the test he had planned for them.

He rolled out of bed and grabbed his light traveling pack—no need to bring more than what he’d need for a few days, he’d told Jiraiya confidently. After double checking that two small silver bells were safely tucked away in one of the pockets, it was time (well, actually several hours _past time_ ) to head out. 

Before heading into the village, Kakashi paused to survey the compound once more. It would stay in the same state of disrepair, largely unchanged by the one night he’d spent there. To truly make the place fit to live in would take weeks, and he was hoping to be out of Konoha in no more than a few days. Maybe even on the road by tonight, if he was lucky. 

And just in case this was his only time visiting the compound, he made sure to grab the portrait of a young Kyoshi warrior off the hearth, carefully wiping it free of dust and wrapping it in one of his shirts before tucking it into his bag. 

* * *

As if he wasn’t tragically late already, Kakashi realized he’d probably need to feed the children he’d told to skip breakfast. He headed into the first restaurant he saw, figuring they’d be able to put together a few bento boxes quickly. 

“—just glad I’m not on Naruto’s team. I don’t know why they even let him graduate,” a girl said, her loud voice piercing through the room. 

“Well I heard it’s because he—” a boy, words muffled by a mouthful of food, started to answer.

“Quit worrying about the airhead and eat the food I bought you.” The voice was lower and gruffer than Kakashi remembered, but there was no mistaking it was Asuma. At first, he had assumed that the drop in pitch was due to growing older, but a quick glance at the man told him otherwise. Now, Kakashi had never assumed the kid he once knew would grow up to be a smoker, but then he remembered who, exactly, Sarutobi Asuma’s father was, and it no longer surprised him.

Kakashi ducked his head and quickly made his way through the restaurant. He assumed Asuma and the other Jonin-sensei had been told he was coming back, but then again, would anyone really believe the mission that finally summoned him back to the Hidden Leaf was training a bunch of kids?

“I wish I was on Sasuke’s team,” he overheard the girl say as he walked out of the restaurant. 

The Sasuke on _his squad_? The little punk bitch? If he was what all the young kunoichi were after now, Kakashi couldn’t say he gained any more respect for the Uchiha.

“Quit thinking about Sasuke. Tomorrow your real training starts.”

“Ugh, what a drag.”

At that, Kakashi did a quick double take, expecting to see Nara Shikaku but instead catching a glimpse of his pint-sized carbon copy. All of the kids, actually, looked just like their parents. 

The legendary Ino-Shika-Cho trio had procreated in the time he’d been gone. 

His former peers could have children. Gods, he needed to get out of Konoha _yesterday._

* * *

With three bento boxes in hand, Kakashi made his way to the training ground, the bells clinking softly in his ninja pouch. Like yesterday, he heard his team long before he ever saw them, and like yesterday, they were bickering.

A resigned sigh escaped him before he could stop it. At least, he told himself, this would be the last day he’d have to deal with it. But before he revealed himself, he traveled to the base of a tall tree thick with foliage. This would be a suitable place to hide the third bento box. Nodding to himself, Kakashi jumped. An air current rustled his clothes, pushing him smoothly upwards into the leaves of the tree, and he tucked the box away where it would be safe from animals. Content, he jumped down to deal with the three almost-Genin.

Immediately, his poor ears were assaulted with yelling from a particularly loud blond, something about being late. Truthfully, Kakashi tuned most of it out. Once one of Naruto’s teammates bullied him into silence, the Hatake pulled the two bells from his pocket and stuck them to his hip, explaining the test. 

He had hardly finished speaking when the air stirred, and Naruto launched at him headfirst, propelled by his airbending. All Kakashi had to do was turn slightly to the side and grab the boy’s arms, pinning Naruto in place.

“Now now,” he scolded, “I didn’t even say start.”

Naruto squirmed, and Kakashi released him. The three pre-Genin tensed, their muscles bunched and ready to either attack or flee. If they were smart, they would flee.

“Start.”

If there was one thing Naruto was known for, it wasn’t exactly smarts.

Kakashi sighed, eyeing the three students. Sakura and Sasuke, at least, understood that they were out of their league and retreated to gain information, finding decent hiding spots. Naruto, on the other hand… Well, Kakashi could commend him for his gutsiness, but this encounter hardly required use of his hands. So he pulled out Jiraiya’s latest rough draft and a pen.

He clicked the pen open, and Naruto twitched. “Eh?!” The boy shouted. “We’re fighting! Not… whatever it is you’re doing!”

Kakashi hummed. “Considering how you haven’t attacked me yet,” he drawled, scrawling notes in the margin of the page, “I wouldn’t call this _fighting_.”

Naruto roared, and Kakashi could have sworn he heard Sakura’s and Sasuke’s sigh from across the clearing. The Namikaze—no, the Uzumaki—lunged at him yet again, launched forward by the air, and Kakashi simply stepped to the left. Naruto sailed past him, colliding face-first with a nearby tree.

“Ow, ow ow ow…” The boy sat up, rubbing his reddened nose.

“So.” Kakashi appeared at Naruto’s back, the remnants of a breeze tugging at their clothes. He still had yet to look up from his editing. “This must be what you meant by fighting, yes?” _Dangling modifier_ , he jotted in the margins of Jiraiya’s manuscript. 

Naruto whipped around. “What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded loudly. “You’re not taking this seriously!”

Kakashi raised one eyebrow without looking up. “Editing this book? Of course I am. It needs all the help it can get... Oh, you meant _this fight_. No, I’m really not. Are you?”

“Of course I am! I’m going to be Hokage one day, believe it!”

“Mm, I’d worry more about getting a bell today,” Kakashi hummed, flipping to the next page of the manuscript. Sasuke and Sakura had effectively disappeared; he couldn’t easily sense either of them. 

“Just watch me!” Naruto yelled, boldly (and stupidly) signalling his intent before attempting another air-enhanced lunge forward. 

Kakashi just ducked. And there went Naruto, missing his target yet again. The boy needed to learn that enemy shinobi wouldn’t just stand there, waiting for him to hit them. Enemy shinobi would be _fighting back_. Speaking of, that wouldn’t be a bad idea.

As Naruto flew overhead, Kakashi jumped up and landed a solid kick to his gut, sending him flying into the nearby lake. His yelp cut off with an impressive splash.

For a few moments, Kakashi watched the lake, waiting for the blond to jump out and lunge at him yet again. It didn’t happen. Briefly, he worried that he kicked too hard, and Naruto was actually unconscious—but, no, he knew his power and his limits and that kick definitely didn’t get Minato’s son down for the count. 

If it did, maybe Naruto really was as disappointing as the village said he was.

Either way, Naruto didn’t seem to be rushing into the fight any longer, so Kakashi turned around and started to walk away. Should he go after Sakura next? Or Sasuke? He thought it over as he crossed out an unclear pronoun and replaced it with its antecedent. 

Shifting water caught his ear. It sounded like Naruto was finally picking himself back up. About time.

...Actually, it sounded like a lot of Narutos.

Kakashi turned just in time to face at least a dozen of the blue-eyed brats, all lunging at him with the same stupid head-on collision course. He knocked the first few away easily with his feet, and they crashed into the ground before disappearing in a puff of air. And then he was knocked slightly off balance by one of them jumping onto his back.

A clone near his ankles bended the air. His bells jingled, pushed upwards, right towards another Naruto’s waiting hand.

Kakashi’s clone went up in flames and disappeared. The Narutos yelped, puffing away until there was just one left in the clearing, urgently patting out the patch of fire on his shirt sleeve. “Damn it!” The boy cried. “I was so close! Ugh!” He jumped to his feet, looking around the clearing. But Kakashi was nowhere to be seen. “Where did you go?! Get back here and fight me!”

From her hiding spot, Sakura quietly observed her raging idiot of a teammate. At least now she knew her sensei’s element: he was a firebender. The fire clone he’d used revealed that, and while earth wasn’t necessarily strong against fire, it certainly did her better than having air. She wasn’t at an advantage, but she wasn’t at a disadvantage, either.

But she had lost sight of their sensei, too. Unease crept up her spine. Kakashi likely knew where she was, so she had to move. With a soft rustling of the leaves, she was gone. After every step she took, the earth shifted, covering up her footprints. _Good luck finding me now, Sensei_ , she thought smugly, retreating into the forest.

And Kakashi was almost impressed.

From his hiding spot far above, he watched the girl move quickly and silently. Her subtle earthbending hid her tracks nicely, although it would do little to slow him down. But it went to show that maybe she wasn’t all love-struck and hormonal in that head of hers. It took decent chakra control to restore the earth to how it looked before it was disturbed, and while her technique was far from perfect, the fact that she thought of it to begin with said plenty.

Maybe there was hope after all.

Silent as a falling leaf, Kakashi leapt ahead.

“Now where could Sasuke be?” Sakura wondered aloud. She looked in every hiding space she could think of, underneath bushes and above the trees, but there was no sign of him. While her earthbending might help her feel out his position, she really wasn’t _that_ great of an earthbender… It was taking a lot of concentration just to cover her tracks.

Sakura glanced at her feet, making sure her footprints were disappearing like she wanted them to, and did a double take.

In front of her were… her own footprints. What? Looking behind her, she confirmed that there was no evidence she had come this way. Had she somehow gotten turned around…? But the footprints were facing the direction she was headed. What was going on? Unnerved but curious, Sakura followed her own tracks, covering them up as she continued.

It felt like she was walking in circles. No footprints behind her, footprints in front of her that she didn’t make—even though there was no one else to make them for her. 

Consumed by this mystery, Sakura continued adamantly forward, following and erasing and following and erasing. Nothing looked any different than it had ten minutes ago! Until something caught her eye up ahead.

Two tracks of her footprints, splitting off into opposite directions.

Baffled, Sakura promptly decided to sit and stare, as if the earth would lift up and tell her that she was going crazy. No, though, she wasn’t going crazy, obviously. There’s no way she came this way before and didn’t know, because she didn’t leave a trail! She covered her tracks, and she would prove it to herself.

Turning her head to look behind her, Sakura saw her own footprints leading directly to her that she could have sworn were not there a second ago.

Her frustrated scream reached Kakashi’s ears as he fled the scene. While he had hoped that she would figure it out, _that_ sound in particular didn’t bode well for her. Ah well. He still had a third wayward student to find—and to break.

Sasuke, too, had heard Sakura’s scream. While half of him thought that she might need his help, the other half insisted that Kakashi had finished with her and was now heading for his third and final target. He had to get ready.

Kakashi didn’t think standing and waiting was much of _getting ready_ , but to each their own. He dropped from the trees, landing neatly several feet away from the Uchiha.

“I didn’t expect you to take a page from Naruto’s ninja handbook,” the Jonin remarked, turning a page of the manuscript. Was it the sentence structure that was unclear, or was he just confused from all the footprints he’d been making?

Sasuke scoffed. “As if Naruto even _owns_ a ninja handbook.”

Kakashi dipped his head. “Fair point. So, are you going to chat the bells off my belt, or…?”

The Uchiha’s hand inched towards his ninja pouch. Even with his eye glued on Jiraiya’s inconsistent verb tenses, the movement was obvious. He glanced up, just for a moment, and at that instance Sasuke launched several kunai at him. Bored with such an upfront attack, Kakashi leapt to the right—and tripped a wire.

_Smart_ , he mused, watching as flaming shuriken whipped towards him from the foliage. Sasuke jumped to his left, rearing back his fist and slamming out a decently impressive flame for a twelve-year-old. Falling in midair, there was nowhere to run.

Or, there wouldn’t be if Kakahi was an idiot.

Twisting midair, he kicked his feet, and flames rocketed him out of the Uchiha’s path. He landed cleanly below, and Sasuke dropped a moment afterwards. “Missed me,” Kakashi taunted.

Sasuke eyed him. “Did I?”

Kakashi followed the boy’s gaze and found himself looking at his hand. The manuscript was blackened and charred, crumbling away to ash. “Well,” he sighed, watching as the breeze picked up and scattered what was left of Jiraiya’s latest novel attempt, “this story was beyond saving, anyway. A mercy killing, if you will.”

The Uchiha shifted, readying a fighting stance. “You don’t have anything occupying your hands anymore,” he stated. “Don’t fight me with just your feet.”

Kakashi glanced at his obviously empty hands and then to Sasuke. He locked eyes with the Uchiha, slid his hands into his pockets, and smiled.

Sasuke’s eyes hardened. Flames puffed from his fingertips, and he lunged. Fire shot from his feet, propelling him off the ground, and with the high ground he punched out another impressive flame.

Impressive for a pre-Genin, at least. He didn’t even need to dodge. Kakashi kicked a foot in the air, his own firebending easily overpowering Sasuke’s. He heard the boy curse, and through the dispersing flames watched him dodge awkwardly to the side. As soon as Sasuke’s feet hit dirt, the Uchiha attacked again, throwing heavy punches and kicks yielding weak flames. It was pitifully easy to dodge, and the more his attacks were dodged or overpowered, Sasuke grew angrier, his hits heavier. Either the boy forgot his basics, or no one properly taught him firebending. 

Gods, what had they done to the academy?

“Is that _really_ all you’ve got?” Kakashi monotoned as Sasuke charged him again. Almost lazily, he reached his leg out and punted the boy into the nearest tree. Gray smoke billowed up from the tree bark, sizzling where Sasuke’s singed clothes touched it. “Here I was hoping you’d have some promise, being an Uchiha and all. But maybe you’re more like Naruto than you’d like to admit...”

Slowly, Sasuke picked himself up. His face was flushed red, his breathing hard. Smoke rolled off his trembling fingertips. The Uchiha took a deep breath, readied his fighting stance, and leveled Kakashi with a glare. “I’m top of my class,” he hissed, clenching his fists. “I’m an Uchiha. I am _nothing_ like that _dead last excuse for a shinobi!”_

His feet exploded with fire, launching him straight towards Kakashi. Sasuke reared both his fists back, summoned all the power he’d ever had, and attacked, barreling towards his sensei was the largest fireball he had ever created.

And then it divided cleanly in two.

Kakashi stood, with his hands pressed together and pointing towards Sasuke. The very tips of his fingers had been enough to scatter Sasuke’s strongest attack. As awe and fear crept up his spine, the Uchiha felt himself freeze. He had a dreadful feeling, as if he’d just made a very, very big mistake.

“Well, Sasuke,” Kakashi said. The firebender shifted from his neutral position into an offensive one, his hands at the ready. “Just remember that you wanted me to use my hands. So, how about I show you how much being ‘top of your class’ matters to a Jonin?”

* * *

From his position nestled high in the foliage of a tall tree, Naruto watched as smoke tendrils curled into the sky. It was safe to assume Kakashi-sensei was occupied with Sasuke. If any of them could get a bell, it was him. That would leave one more for him and Sakura to fight for. 

But if he got the bell and not Sakura, she wouldn’t pass the test. She wouldn’t be on their team anymore. 

But if he didn’t get the bell, there was no way he could become Hokage. 

It was hard to focus on that complicated lose-lose situation, given how hungry he was. Lunchtime should have been at least an hour ago, and the masked bookworm had made it clear that there was no lunch without a stupid bell. 

That’s when the wind shifted and he smelled it. 

_A bento box._

The Uzumaki used airbending to leap up higher, finding the meal tucked snugly where the tree trunk forked off into two directions. “How did Kakashi-sensei even get this high up?” he said as he reached for the bento box. The branches here were so light; he didn’t know how anyone other than an airbender could balance. 

“How did _you_ find my bento box?”

Kakashi appeared mere inches from his face. Naruto screeched, yanking himself backwards. Balancing precariously on the high branches, he flailed and tilted backwards. Relief flooded his chest when he saw the Jonin reaching out to grab—

_The bento box._

Kakashi-sensei was somehow already standing on the ground to spectate as Naruto gracelessly hit the hard earth. 

“ _How are you so fast?!_ ” Naruto roared.

“Mm, it’s quite easy when everyone around you is so slow. But, seeing as stealing the prizes is breaking the rules… you fail!”

* * *

“Kakashi-sensei, this isn’t fair,” the pink-haired kunoichi whined. “We don’t even have a waterbender on our team.”

Kakashi was fairly confident they’d need more than a twelve-year-old waterbender on their team to make up for their gross performance today, but he made the generous choice not to crush their egos any more than he already had. After all, today reminded him of the day he fought for his bell, so many years ago, and how Minato-sensei had simply been too quick on his feet for him or his teammates to get within ten feet. The nostalgia, while bittersweet, prompted him to extend his generosity just once more.

“How about a hint instead?” he offered. “Maybe...oh, I don’t know... _teamwork_?”

What came next only worked because neither boy planned it—of that, Kakashi was sure. It actually would have been a sophisticated move, if it hadn’t been a complete accident. 

Naruto and Sasuke rushed forward at the same time, fueled by frustration and determination. The airbender was faster, but the firebender moved to attack first. So when Naruto created an airstrike, Sasuke’s flames intensified it. The end result was a heated air attack of Chunin caliber.

Earth coiled up around Kakashi’s ankles, rooting him in place as the attack hit him dead on. 

The moment the gale-force wind subsided, the three children were on top of him and poised to strike. Still too obvious, and while they were at least attacking at the same time, that hardly constituted teamwork. The earth fell away from his feet, and the Jonin easily jumped away, landing several feet away.

The pre-Genin, unfortunately, were not as quick to react. 

Sakura’s fist connected with Sasuke’s jaw. The force of the blow sent the Uchiha flying several feet back and into (yet another) nearby tree. 

“Naruto!” Sakura yelled, turning her fists on her other teammate. “You’re so stupid, look what you made me do.” Had she not been attacking one of the people Kakashi had just explicitly told her to work with, the way she was able to channel her chakra so easily into her punches would have been impressive. 

Sasuke was slow to get up, his breathing quick and shallow. It wouldn’t be surprising if he’d injured something, considering he had just received the brunt of an earthbender’s chakra-infused punch. Yet Sasuke didn’t even perform a quick damage assessment of himself. Instead, the boy took one quick look at his squabbling teammates before turning his fiery gaze to his sensei. 

That was when Kakashi noticed what he should have much earlier: blotchy red patches of skin climbing up the Uchiha’s arms. The kind every firebender inevitably dealt with early on in their training before discovering a heat and intensity they could control. The kind that should be paid attention to and treated early on, not ignored and made much more serious than they needed to be.

These kids didn’t deserve to be sent back to the academy. They hadn’t demonstrated they deserved to be shinobi at all.

“That’s enough for now,” Kakashi called, quite loudly to be heard over Naruto and Sakura still yelling at each other. “You can try again after lunch. May I suggest spending the time developing a plan for how you’re going to work together?”

The kids froze. Sasuke’s eyes burned with anger, and his body tensed as if he were about to ignore Kakashi’s words. Before the boy could make a move, however, Kakashi pinned him with a glare.

“Don’t forget. You aren’t at the academy anymore,” Kakashi warned, his voice low. “I am your Jonin-sensei, whether you like it or not. My word here is _law_.”

His eyes scanned over his students. Their rapt attention was focused completely on him. Satisfied, he continued. “Naruto is not to eat lunch. It’s his punishment for breaking the rules and trying to steal a bento box. If you feed him, you will do more than fail. I’ll personally see to it that you’re expelled from the academy. You will never be a shinobi.”

Kakashi gave them a smile and disappeared.

* * *

Sakura guiltily ate her bento box, stealing glances at Naruto, who was practically writhing where he sat. Sasuke wasn’t paying either of them any mind, glaring down at his bento box as if it had personally offended him.

The Uchiha was sulking; the Uzumaki was whining; the Haruno was trying to figure out a way to break the godawful silence. How could they even begin to function as a team when they were so busy wallowing in their own problems?

“I guess,” the kunoichi started quietly, “that Sensei kinda pummeled us all, huh?”

She looked nervously at Sasuke, hoping she didn’t make him mad. Sasuke, however, only scoffed. It was Naruto who first spoke up—about something other than his hunger, at least.

“Kakashi-sensei _creamed_ me!” he complained. “I don’t even think he was _trying_! He’s way too strong. I don’t know how we’re supposed to even get near those bells!”

Sakura picked at her lunch. “You got close,” she offered, “with those clones. I saw you airbend them closer to you.”

Naruto’s face immediately turned beet red, although a wide grin split his face. “You saw that?!”

She nodded. “I didn’t catch when he switched out with a clone, though.”

“He’s fast,” Sasuke inputted, pushing around his food with his chopsticks. “I didn’t really see it, but I think it was when our team idiot crashed into that tree. It’d make the most sense. Naruto had his back turned, so there’s no way he could have seen. I can’t think of any other opening he would have like that.”

“He got me with genjutsu,” Sakura offered, looking down at her food rather than her teammates. “I should have remembered that firebenders are usually good at that.”

“Don’t blame yourself Sakura! He’s good at everything!” Naruto insisted. “I don’t know how we’re supposed to beat him.”

The three of them were quiet for a few seconds, the only sound being Naruto’s growling stomach. 

“Well...he told us, didn’t he?” Sakura finally said hesitantly, looking to Sasuke for approval. “None of us is strong enough on our own. We have to work together.”

Sasuke sighed heavily, as if what he was about to say pained him, but he nodded slowly. “We have to work together,” he agreed grumpily. “We’ll worry about the two bells _after_ we get them.” 

From his hiding spot nearby, Kakashi watched in surprise as the Uchiha shoved his half-eaten bento box at his teammate. 

“Eat, Naruto. We need you at full strength if we’re going to stand a chance.”

“But Sasuke—” Sakura started. 

“You can tell Sensei it was me who fed Naruto if we get in trouble,” Sasuke said. 

Sakura appeared visibly distressed, torn between following the rules and her strange, strange crush. After a few moments, though, she gave in. “Here, Naruto, have some of mine too. I’m not that hungry, really.”

Well, Kakashi hadn’t predicted _this_ turn of events. He’d seen enough, he decided. 

The Jonin leaped from his tall tree. His feet hit the earth dead center among the three of them, and the ground beneath him cracked with a sound like thunder. “What do you think you’re doing?” He demanded. 

Three panicked expressions looked back up at him. The sausage Naruto had been inhaling actually fell out of his mouth. 

It was Sasuke who put on a brave face and spoke up for them. “Tch. Your word might be law, but that doesn’t make it any less stupid. Naruto can’t fight on an empty stomach, so we’re feeding him.”

Kakashi turned his gaze to Sakura, wondering if she’d crack and blame it all on the Uchiha. The young kunoichi looked seconds away from being violently ill, but she forcefully nodded at Sasuke’s declaration. 

“So,” Kakashi started. “You knew the rules, and you knew the consequences. And still you chose your comrade over the rules.” He looked over the trio, who were stiff with apprehension, yet still firmly standing by their decision. “You… pass!”

The kids gaped at him for a long few seconds, until realization settled in. Naruto and Sakura screeched in joy, and even Sasuke had a smile on his face.

“Finish your lunch,” Kakashi instructed over their noise, “and then we’ll start the second test.”

He was gone a moment later, but unfortunately not far enough away for Naruto’s shrill declaration to painfully assault his ears.

“ _Second test?!_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sasuke: dont fight me with just your feet  
> kakashi: *breaks out hands*  
> sasuke: pikachu meme


	3. Broken Roots and Budding Leaves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi gets surprised, a lot. (Kakashi doesn't like surprises.)

When Kakashi returned, he was greeted with the expected amount of chaos.

“What do you  _ mean _ second test?!” Naruto roared. From the volume of his voice alone Kakashi could tell he had eaten lunch. “You never told us about a second test!  _ You said _ —”

“I  _ said _ ,” Kakashi interrupted, “many things. I said you’d only pass if you get a bell. I said you’d all get expelled if you ate lunch, Naruto. Now, I’m saying that we’re having a second test.” When it looked as if Naruto was about to protest again, Kakashi said cheerily, “If you don’t like it, you can return to the academy.”

Sasuke crossed his arms, eyeing their sensei warily. “Alright then. What’s the second test?”

“Now that’s the attitude!” Kakashi clapped his hands and smiled. The students shuddered. “All you have to do is answer one ethical question.”

“Ethical?” Naruto echoed. Sakura and Sasuke gave him annoyed looks.

“Ethics,” Sakura began, “are what help you determine how you would handle a difficult moral situation. An ethical question challenges your perception of right and wrong, and usually how you answer will tell a lot about you, whether you actually  _ say _ very much or not.”

Sasuke hummed thoughtfully. “So you’re trying to see if we have the character to be shinobi,” he remarked. “And however we answer whatever question you’ve got will tell you that.”

“Correct.” Kakashi nodded.

“So spit it out already!” Naruto urged.

The Hatake wagged his finger at Naruto. “Ah ah ah, not so fast,” he chided. “I’m going to be asking you all individually. You aren’t to talk about the question or your answer with each other.”

“That way we can’t influence each other’s answers,” Sakura commented. Kakashi gave her an affirming nod. Maybe there was more in the young kunoichi’s head than thoughts of boys.

Kakashi continued, “Whatever answers you give me will be final. Go with your gut instinct or what you think is the right thing to do. Do  _ not _ answer with what you think I want you to say. Only after all three of you have answered will I tell you if you pass or not. Are we clear?”

He received three nods in return.

“Alright then. Sakura, you’re going first.”

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke watched Kakashi take Sakura across the clearing, far out of earshot. He talked to her quietly, and she seemed to be listening with rapt attention.

“What do you think the question is?” Naruto asked nervously, twiddling his thumbs.

Sasuke only shrugged. “Who knows. Kakashi-sensei seems crazy enough to come up with just about anything.”

“I’m not good with tests.”

“It’s not a test, idiot,” the Uchiha snapped. “It’s just a question.”

Naruto only seemed more stressed. “But how do I know if I’m gonna answer it right?!” 

Sasuke unhelpfully rolled his eyes. “You’ll find out when he tells you if you passed or flunked.”

“ _ But _ —!”

Their bickering continued, only interrupted when Kakashi returned with Sakura in tow.

“Sasuke,” Kakashi said, “you’re next.”

The Uchiha grunted, stood, and followed their sensei off. Naruto took one look at Sakura and thought he might be sick with worry.

The kunoichi looked as if she’d seen a ghost—or heard something sickening. She hadn’t even looked at Naruto, staring instead at her hands. Sakura was always so  _ brave _ , too…! What could possibly make her look so torn up? Naruto chewed his fingernails. He’d worry himself gray at this rate, but he couldn’t help it! What could this question possibly be?

Sasuke returned after a few minutes, and he didn’t look much better than Sakura. A scowl was on his face, but he looked disturbed. He plunked down beside Sakura without a word. She offered him nothing but a tight smile.

Kakashi’s blank eye settled on Naruto. “You’re up next. Come on.”

Naruto gulped and followed his sensei. The further away he got from Sakura and Sasuke, the more he felt as if he were walking into the lion’s mouth. 

When Kakashi finally came to a stop, Naruto felt his heart jump into his throat.

The Hatake eyed the blonde. “It’s just a question, Naruto,” he said. “Relax, and listen closely.”

Naruto nodded and did the exact opposite of relax.

“Alright. The Hidden Leaf is at war with another Hidden village,” Kakashi began. “Our team is on a very important, time-sensitive mission. If we fail this mission, we are almost guaranteed to lose the war. En route to our destination, we are attacked by high-level enemy shinobi. I am taken captive, and they take me in a direction opposite of our destination. You do not know what they plan to do with me. They could kill me immediately or they could be holding me hostage; you do not know. You have no way to contact any other Konoha shinobi. One teammate wants to go after me; the other is intent on putting the mission first. You are left to decide what the team does. What do you choose?”

Kakashi had given no indicator as to whether one decision was right or wrong. His voice was monotone through the entire hypothetical. And given the situation, no wonder Sakura and Sasuke had come back looking like they did.

To be forced to choose between your comrade and your village?

Yet, the answer came easily to Naruto.

“I’d save you!” Naruto blurted, fists clenched and fire alight in his eyes. “What kind of question is that? I couldn’t leave you to die!”

Kakashi gave no response, other than his eyebrow slightly raising.

Compelled by his sensei’s silence, Naruto steamrolled ahead. “Even if it meant failing the mission… Even if it meant putting the village in more danger… I  _ couldn’t _ leave you behind! That’s just… it isn’t right!”

“If,” Kakashi started, and Naruto snapped his jaw shut. “If you choose me over your mission, know this. I will not thank you. Your teammates will not thank you. The village will not thank you. You will be seen as a coward, and your loyalties to the Hidden Leaf will be questioned. In the eyes of every Konoha shinobi and civilian, you will be seen as worse than scum.”

The Jonin took a pause, letting it all sink in. After a long silence, Kakashi spoke up once more.

“Do you choose your comrade or your mission, Naruto? This is your final answer.”

Naruto didn’t even have to think about it. “The village… the shinobi here, and the civilians… they all already see me as worse than scum,” Naruto said, and hearing that from Minato-sensei’s son broke Kakashi’s heart just a little bit. “It doesn’t matter what they think of me. It doesn’t matter if you don’t thank me. But I said that I would save you, and I  _ never  _ go back on my word. That’s my nindo, my ninja way.”

“That’s your final answer?” Kakashi hummed.

Naruto nodded. “It is.”

“Alright then. Let’s regroup.”

With nothing else said between them, Naruto followed Kakashi back to Sasuke and Sakura to await their verdict.

* * *

After Kakashi led Naruto away, Sakura and Sasuke were both left to think about how they’d individually answered their sensei’s question. 

_ There’s no right answer,  _ Sakura tried to remind herself.  _ What matters most is the reasoning you give.  _

But under the weight of her Jonin-sensei’s gaze, her mind had gone completely blank. Silence stretched between the two of them as he waited for an answer, his face giving away nothing. 

“I - I think I’d rescue you,” she finally said quietly.

“You think?” Kakashi prompted, tone neutral. 

“I would!” Sakura continued, trying to sound confident. “You’re our sensei. Even if it meant we failed our mission...I couldn’t just let you die!”

When the Jonin continued on, listing out reasons she shouldn’t have made that choice and giving her the option to change her mind, she convinced herself this was part of the test, to see if she’d stand behind her original answer or cave under pressure. 

After all, it was an impossible choice. It couldn’t be her answer that mattered, but how she delivered it and the reasoning she gave. “I’d still save you. It’s the right thing to do, and, um, it doesn’t matter if you thank me or if anyone else thinks it’s dumb!”

That was the best she’d been able to come up with. Now that she was sitting with Sasuke, she could think of a million better reasons to give, Shinobi rules she could have referenced, and more compelling statements than  _ it’s the right thing to do.  _

Was it taking Naruto longer to answer? It seemed like time had slowed to a stop. Sakura risked a glance over at Sasuke and debated for a moment asking him what he’d said. The thought of finding out what he’d said—of hearing the better answer he must have given—made her stomach lurch. 

Sasuke, meanwhile, did not feel anymore confident in his own answer. He’d thought about it logically, as he knew he should do while on a mission, but truthfully the right answer could be either one. The shinobi rules insist that a shinobi cannot abandon his mission, which is what he would be doing if he were to save Kakashi. Yet, Kakashi was their Jonin-sensei, and—as he had proved earlier—was much stronger than the lot of them. Not having a Jonin on their team decreased their odds of success.

Ultimately, he had said, “I would rescue you. Without you on our team, we’re likely to fail the mission, anyways. If the enemy had already killed you, we would still be able to learn information from them. It wouldn’t be a waste.”

Then Kakashi had tacked on the additional information. The Hatake was met with a brunt, “Tch. As if I care what the village thinks,” and nothing more.

Kakashi returned with Naruto quickly. The trio all stood, anxious to hear their verdict. 

Their Jonin-sensei tucked his hands into his pockets and surveyed the three of them slowly. Surprisingly, Naruto looked the least nervous of all three of them. Sakura, perhaps because she’d had the most time to reflect on her answer, looked about ready to pass out.

“Well,” Kakashi began. “You all chose the same course of action, so I suppose that means you pass or fail together.”

He watched the three of them perform mental gymnastics as they took in this information. Sakura, in particular, seemed to have a hard time deciding if she’d made a mistake by siding with Naruto or done something right by answering the same as Sasuke.

“You all chose to disregard your mission for the sake of a single shinobi. You chose to risk the safety of the village, not knowing if you’d even find me alive. Even when you knew you would never get a single word of thanks, none of you wanted to leave me behind,” the Hatake continued. With a sigh, the man glanced at the Memorial Stone sitting nearby.

“Those who break the rules are scum. That’s… true. But those who would abandon their friends—they’re worse than scum.” Kakashi returned his gaze to the three of them. He couldn’t believe he was about to say this, but… “You pass.”

Sakura collapsed to her knees in relief. Naruto, on the other hand, shot up about ten feet in the air in excitement. Even Sasuke, the little Uchiha prince of darkness, had the trace of a smile on his face. 

“I want you all back here tomorrow at sunrise. That’s when your real training will start,” he continued, knowing that realistically, he wouldn’t be there before noon. It would give them time to get out all their squabbling.

“Sasuke,” Kakashi added. “Go to the hospital tonight and get those burns treated. Tomorrow, try not to hurt yourself. You won’t like it if I have to tell you again.”

The Uchiha just scowled in response. 

“I’d say good work today,” Kakashi continued, “but... I’ll see you all bright and early tomorrow.”

He was nearly out of earshot when he heard Sasuke speak to Sakura.

“That was smart, how you held Kakashi-sensei in place with earthbending so he couldn’t escape Naruto’s airstrike.”

There was a long pause before Sakura laughed loudly. “Oh that? It was nothing... really…”

* * *

Finally alone, Kakashi took his time to meander through the village. While he had already made a lap around it yesterday, he had nothing better to do.

Well, he supposed he could clean the Hatake compound… Maybe later. He did need groceries, and to send a letter to Jiraiya to let him know that he would be staying in the village for an unforeseen amount of time. That gave him something to do, at least.

Ah. He should also probably figure out what he and his  _ Genin team _ were going to be doing in their training tomorrow. God, why did he ever agree to this?

With a sigh, Kakashi took a turn for the market. He took a quieter road, where there was no one else. Tall trees provided cool shade, and he could hear the birds singing. Truthfully, he thought of lingering here a moment. After the chaos of this morning, he would like to enjoy the silence.

So he leaned against the fencing under the shade of one such large oak. Instinctively, he reached for the manuscript Jiraiya had given him—but his hand returned empty. That was right; Sasuke had destroyed it. He’d have to include that in his letter.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kakashi saw something move. Curious, he turned his head, and watched as a tree branch dipped low to him. The branch slowly extended, growing out towards his empty hand. The Hatake observed it move closer as one would observe an insect crawling about.

Once within a few inches of him, however, the branch snapped forward. It circled tightly around Kakashi’s wrist, and other branches squeezed his torso and legs, pinning him back against the fence. It seemed he was immobile.

Emphasis on  _ seemed _ .

Stifling a sigh, Kakashi yanked his arms free, and the branch snapped, clattering to the pavement below. He casually unwrapped himself from the other branches and stepped away to stand in the center of the pavement. “Nice to see you, too, Kurenai,” he said.

The genjutsu wavered and fell away, revealing the tree as it had always been. The leaves of it rustled before a woman he almost didn’t recognize jumped down.

“You know,” Kakashi continued, “you could have just said hello like a normal person.”

Kurenai set her hand on her hip. “Normal people don’t disappear from the village for a decade.”

While Kakashi could list a dozen different reasons why he was very much not normal, he decided not to go down that road. “Fair point.”

“How’d you know, anyway?” She questioned, eyeing him curiously. “You didn’t even use the Sharingan.”

“I didn’t need to.”

Kurenai rolled her eyes and sighed heavily, briefly pinching the bridge of her nose. “Some people never change.” Then, she moved to stand beside him, and he took that as his cue to start walking while she continued beside him. “Why didn’t you tell us you were back in the village?”

Kakashi shoved his hands into his pockets, resuming his usual slouch. Kurenai looked at him curiously but said nothing. They were strangers, practically. So much had changed when he’d been gone that who they once knew each other to be didn’t exist anymore. “To be honest,” he said, “I thought I would be leaving today or tomorrow.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “So it’s true, then? Hiruzen called you back to be a Jonin-sensei?”

“Don’t laugh,” Kakashi grumbled.

She laughed anyway. “Wow!” Then, she paused, and a frown replaced her smile. “Damn. That means Gai really won our betting pool.”

It was Kakashi’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “You made bets?”

“Gai was the only one who betted for you,” she admitted, tucking her hair behind her ear. “No one else thought you would come back after ten years to train Genin.”

“Maa…” Kakashi kicked a loose pebble, sending it skittering down the pathway. “I didn’t think I would, either, but Hiruzen was… quite persistent.”

“So the ANBU and monkey summons were real, too?”

“Did you really come find me just to gossip?”

“Ugh. You’re no fun.” Kurenai loosely crossed her arms, but she nodded. “I’m not sure if you’ve heard yet, but I passed the Jonin exam recently.”

“Oh? Congratulations.”

“Thanks. Well, since you’ve been gone, I’ve been the village’s most up and coming firebender. And now, suddenly, the prodigy’s back.”

Kakashi didn’t show his abhorrent opinion of that name—the  _ prodigy _ . Instead, he concluded, “So you want to see which one of us is better.”

“Just a friendly spar.”

The Hatake sighed and looked longingly in the direction of the marketplace. “Fine,” he agreed, “just  _ one _ friendly spar.”

The spar was anything but friendly.

* * *

There was nothing subtle about firebending—which was one of the many reasons firebenders often supplemented their skills with genjutsu. However, Kakashi had already demonstrated that any attempt at illusion would be pointless, leaving Kurenai with no choice but to attack head on. 

And attack head on she did. As soon as they began, her stance was as solid as an earthbender’s. She launched fire attacks at him as if this were an agni kai, pressing steadily forward and Kakashi, for the first few seconds, was backpedaling. He’d not expected Kurenai to be so upfront with her attacks, and it was costing him the first few seconds of the match, which could determine the entire spar.

He could hear Minato’s voice in the back of his head.  _ “Break her roots!” _

“Come on, Kakashi,” Kurenai goaded, almost close enough to grab. “I thought you’d be better than this!”

Kakashi responded by dropping to his hands and kicking her feet out from under her. As soon as her back hit the ground, Kurenai leaped to her feet, but Kakashi had beaten her to it. He kicked a large fireball at her, and she cursed as she dodged to the side, unsteady. He took that to his advantage, pressing on, his stance as solid as a Kyoshi warrior’s.

Then Kurenai met one of his blows with one equally as powerful, and the flames collided midair before canceling each other out. The heat rushed against Kakashi’s skin like a hot summer day in the Land of Wind. 

The Jonin rushed at each other. Too close for firebending, they resorted to taijutsu, exchanging a flurry of blows that they blocked and countered in perfect equilibrium with each other. But Kakashi was faster, his eye sharper, and he gained the upper hand. He landed a clean kick above her kneecap, and Kurenai winced, jumping away and favoring her right side. Kakashi spotted where she would land and readied an attack.

The concentrated wave of fire Kakashi sent slicing through the air was stronger than a friendly match called for, but Kurenai had shown herself to be capable of deflecting his smaller ones. If he wanted this spar to come to an end any time soon, he needed to up his game.

Kurenai landed just before the fireball reached her. But when she landed, her knee buckled, her face twisting in pain. She didn’t even have the chance to brace herself against the attack.

The smell of burning skin and hair hit his nose, and Kakashi’s heart leapt to his throat. It was a feeling similar to when Naruto didn’t emerge from the lake —except this was a much more intense battle, and he could have seriously hurt her.

“Kurenai,” he called warily, his feet shifting uneasily while the smoke began to clear. Her silhouette wasn’t moving. His attack was powerful enough to cauterize any wound instantly, but damage like that would require medical ninjutsu sooner rather than later. 

A strong blast of fire hit him squarely in the back, sending the Hatake skidding across the ground. He immediately got his footing under him, scowling, and he looked up to see a completely unhurt Kurenai smirking at him while the wounded fire clone beside him vanished. He should’ve known. He was so focused on possibly hurting Kurenai that he’d underestimated her. What was he, a Genin?

“So the prodigy isn’t perfect after all,” she remarked smugly.

If Kakashi had any reservations about fighting Kurenai, they were rapidly disappearing. 

He reached to adjust his forehead protector before stopping. Kurenai wasn’t going to be able to say she’d lost this fight because he’d used his Sharingan. 

Besides, he still didn’t need it. 

Kakashi disappeared quicker than Kurenai could blink. She couldn’t detect his chakra signature, but that didn’t mean anything—any shinobi worth their salt could easily mask their presence. 

“I thought we were sparring. Not playing hide and seek,” Kurenai called out as she surveyed the clearing. She had no idea what Kakashi was planning. She had to assume he was watching her closely, meaning there was no opportunity to create a fire clone and hide herself. That, and she knew Kakashi well enough to know he wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice. 

A twig snapped to her left, and Kurenai whirled around, launching a fireball. Before it even had the chance to dissipate in the empty air, she spun around once more, blasting an even stronger fire attack directly at Kakashi.

Kakashi, surprised, immediately readied a counterstance—although it was not a firebender’s stance. Kakashi dug his feet into the ground and poised his arms like a waterbender, and with the fluidity of a natural-born waterbender,  _ redirected _ her fire attack around himself and launched it back at her with twice its original strength.

Caught off guard, Kurenai couldn’t hope to dodge, and she instead braced herself as the attack hit, singeing her clothes and hair. When the attack dissipated, Kakashi had resumed a normal stance for a firebender, ready to continue his attack, but Kurenai’s mind was still playing catch up.

“Wait wait wait. Kakashi, what  _ was  _ that?” she asked. Kakashi eased a little, but he didn’t seem to trust her not to pull a surprise attack.

“It was exactly what you saw.”

“ _ Kakashi _ . Enough with the spar. Seriously, I’ve never seen anyone redirect a fire attack like that before!”

At that, the man finally relaxed his stance, returning to his slouched pose with hands in his pockets. 

Kurenai pressed on when it became clear Kakashi wasn’t going to volunteer any information. “What else did you learn while you were off searching for the Avatar?” Surprise must have registered on Kakashi’s face, because she continued. “We all know that’s why you and Jiraiya have been away so long.”

Kakashi gave a noncommittal shrug. 

It was clear she wasn’t going to get anymore out of him about his journey right now, so she switched tactics. “I’m meeting Asuma and Gai for dinner tonight,” Kurenai said. “You should come.”

“Mm. I’ll think about it.” Confident that their spar was actually over, Kakashi turned his back to Kurenai and began heading away. 

Kurenai’s voice called after him. “You can’t avoid us forever, you know.”

“Then it’s a good thing I’m not trying to,” Kakashi called back without turning around. 

But was it too much to hope that he could go at least a few weeks without having to face any of them?

* * *

That night, when Kakashi finally returned to the Hatake compound, he didn’t want to begin to think about how much work the residence would need to become habitable again. He’d have to send his ninken to retrieve more of his belongings from the apartment above Jiraiya’s bookshop, too. Maybe one of them would be able to gently break the news about what had befallen the latest installment of  _ Icha Icha _ . 

It wasn’t that the day’s events had been particularly taxing, especially given how late he’d slept in. It was more that any attempt at making his childhood home feel more livable would make this—the fact that he was actually going to be  _ sticking around _ —feel a little too real. 

There was just one thing he needed to do. 

He took a deep breath and exhaled, sending dust flying into the air but leaving a much cleaner mantle. It would need a more thorough cleaning later, but a cursory dusting would have to suffice for now.

Carefully, he unwrapped the picture he’d tucked into his pack that morning and returned it to its home. The familiar portrait of the unfamiliar face stared back at him, the dramatic face paint of a Kyoshi warrior nearly overpowering the warmth in her expression. 

The smallest hint of a smile tugged at his face. “Sorry it took me so long to come back for you,” he said, “but it looks like I’m here to stay for a little while… Mom.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we meant to publish this sooner but a racist at the dog park and a momma spider got in the way


	4. The Dream You Chase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two weeks have passed, and it's time for teacher-student evaluations.

Kakashi had been back in the Hidden Leaf for two weeks. Besides his encounter with Kurenai, he’d largely managed to avoid anyone and everyone besides his three Genin. 

Bisuke had returned a few days ago with some of Kakashi’s belongings and a long-winded return letter from Jiraiya. The first ten or so pages had bemoaned the loss of the newest  _ Icha Icha  _ installment and gone into far too much detail about the research his sensei would again have to undertake. 

There was really only anything of substance in the last few paragraphs. Jiraiya had asked about Hiruzen (mostly to feel out if any more monkey summons were headed back to terrorize his bookshop) and Kakashi’s squad of Genin, if Naruto was anything like Minato and whether the last Uchiha had any talent. 

_ I’m not far away if you need me _ , the letter concluded.

“Mm. I don’t know about that,” Kakashi said to his ninken. “How’s the song go?  _ It's a long long way to Ba Sing Se _ …"

Bisuke promptly disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

It was a Saturday morning, criminally early, when Kakashi was awoken by knocking on his front door. The seals he’d placed shortly after returning would keep out nearly any unwanted visitor, so he closed his eyes and tried to fall back asleep. 

When the knocking didn’t stop after five minutes—if anything, it had escalated to more of a pounding—Kakashi was only more convinced that he didn’t want to face whoever was so eager to see him. 

Then again, at this point there was hardly any chance of falling back asleep. And if it was his Eternal Rival, finally fed up with waiting for him, it was best to intervene before Gai seriously hurt himself trying to take down the door by force. 

And while Kakashi was inevitably going to intervene, the warding would buy him some time. Eventually, he got to his feet, dressed, and went to open the door. There stood a man he didn’t immediately recognize. It clicked a second later, when he mentally removed the scar from across the bridge of the other man’s nose.

“Umino Iruka?” Kakashi asked.

Iruka hardly acknowledged his question. “I came to tell you there’s a mandatory Jonin-sensei check-in. It starts in fifteen minutes. We can walk to the academy together,” the teacher said. 

Kakashi’s only reply was a tired, disinterested blink of his uncovered eye. 

“I would have told you about this ahead of time, but your Genin all say that you’re not very punctual,” Iruka continued. 

Kakashi wracked his brain for any memory of Iruka. By the time the younger ninja would have started at the academy, Kakashi had likely already been named a Jonin. He knew Asuma and Kurenai each had a group of Genin, so he assumed Iruka had to as well, even if he was a bit young to be mentoring a squad. 

“Why are you talking to my Genin? Don’t you have your own to worry about?” Kakashi asked. 

“Actually, as their academy instructor, it’s my job to worry about all of them. Now come on or we’re going to be late.”

It was far too early for Kakashi to be awake, though in fairness this was around the time he usually told his students to be ready for him at one of the training fields. Now they were getting to sleep in on their Saturday off while Iruka wasted no time marching him to the academy. 

Kakashi maintained a leisurely stroll, pretending not to see the glaring looks Iruka shot back at him. He hadn’t known Iruka well before leaving the village. Honestly, he wasn’t even sure if he knew that the kid had existed back then.  _ Umino _ ... There had been dozens of shinobi killed when the Nine Tails attacked, but among the names of the deceased, he thought he remembered a few from the Umino clan. 

It was fair to assume Iruka had known his share of losses from the Nine Tails attack, but that was just about everything Kakashi knew about the man, except that he was a teacher at the academy. And since Kakashi wasn’t about to make conversation about Iruka’s dead family members, he opted to stay quiet until they reached their destination. Iruka didn’t seem to  _ enjoy _ the silence, but the teacher probably didn’t know what to say to Kakashi, either.

So they just didn’t say anything.

Visiting the academy again was strange. Kakashi couldn’t remember actually seeing it since he graduated, and he had almost been too young to even remember his experience there. Still, it hadn’t looked like the building changed at all. He wondered if the academy’s budget was still criminally low.

Probably.

Kurenai and Asuma were already waiting for the two of them, Kurenai the picture of the perfect student and Asuma…

“You can’t smoke in here!” Iruka scolded. 

“Nice to see you too, Sensei,” Asuma grumbled, but he snuffed the cigarette anyway. 

“Good morning, Kakashi. It’s nice to see you again,” Kurenai said with a smile. “I was starting to think you were avoiding all of us.”

Asuma laughed. “Couldn’t imagine why.”

Kakashi sighed and sat down with them. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Iruka launched into a lecture that Kakashi mostly tuned out. He realized he hadn’t eaten breakfast, and — oh gods, he sounded like Naruto. He blinked and tried to refocus on the conversation, but by now, Asuma was talking instead of Iruka.

“They work together as well as their fathers,” Asuma was saying. “Ino’s still a little too boy-crazy for my tastes, and Choji’s a little too  _ food _ -crazy… But I haven’t managed to pin down Shikamaru’s motivation. He’s a genius, but he keeps saying being a shinobi is a ‘drag’.”

Kurenai and Iruka chuckled. The kunoichi said, “Maybe he takes after his father a little too much.”

Asuma laughed and nodded. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

Iruka looked from Asuma to Kurenai. “And what about your team, Kurenai?” He asked.

She crossed her legs and smiled. “A work in progress, but I think they’ll shape into a fine team yet.”

“Good,” Iruka remarked. Then he looked to Kakashi. “And yours, Kakashi?”

Kakashi sighed. “My honest opinion?” he asked.

Iruka nodded and then looked like he immediately regretted doing so, but Kakashi was already steamrolling ahead. “Uchiha Sasuke’s a punk bitch at best. He needed therapy ten years ago, but for _some reason,_ that thought never crossed anyone’s mind after his entire Clan was slaughtered by his own brother. Not to mention, he doesn’t even know the basics of firebending, to the point that he’s on his own Genin squad and is still injuring himself because he doesn’t know his limits.”

Kakashi looked around, but no one seemed like they wanted to interrupt. So, he continued. “Haruno Sakura…” He sighed. “...clearly comes from a civilian family and has no idea what being a ninja actually entails. She spends half her time fixing her hair and the other half staring at Sasuke or yelling at Naruto.” At the mention of Naruto, he sighed  _ again _ . “Namikaze Naruto—”

“Uzumaki Naruto,” Iruka interrupted. 

“That’s what I said.”

“No. You said Namikaze.”

Kakashi was at best half awake, but even well-rested, he wasn’t sure he would have understood why the three shinobi in the room were looking at him like he’d just committed a war crime. He didn’t know why Naruto had Kushina’s last name and hadn’t really considered it at length. 

Kurenai was the one who broke the silence. “Naruto doesn’t know.”

Kakashi blinked. Surely she couldn’t mean…? “Doesn’t know  _ what? _ ” He asked.

“That Lord Fourth was his father.”

Kakashi’s first and foremost thought was,  _ You’ve got to be shitting me _ .

Well,  _ that  _ would have been valuable information for Hiruzen to share. “Next you’re going to tell me he doesn’t know he’s the Nine Tails Jinchuriki,” Kakashi said. 

Iruka’s face was hard to read. “That...well, Lord Third forbade the village from talking about it.”

Kakashi blinked slowly at Iruka. “But Naruto knows, yes?”

“As of a few weeks ago, yes.”

Kakashi was tempted to ask who was running Konoha and whether they had a lick of common sense, but he knew the answer. The man’s son was sitting just a few chairs away from him. Next time he spoke with Hiruzen, he’d give the man a piece of his mind, at risk of enraged monkeys or not.

“A few  _ weeks ago? _ ” Kakashi repeated, hoping that he’d misheard.

Iruka at least had the good graces to look uncomfortable. “A few weeks ago,” he confirmed. “After the attack, Lord Third made a law that talking about the Nine Tails wasn’t allowed.”

Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose. “While I could say so much more about that,” he started, “will someone please tell me how Naruto knows, then?”

“A traitor to the village told him,” Kurenai supplied. “He’s been dealt with, since.”

The Hatake looked at her. “Dealt with. For telling Naruto he’s a Jinchuriki.”

“It’s a little more complicated than that.”

Iruka shifted the weight on his feet and cleared his throat. “How’s Naruto doing, Kakashi?” the teacher prompted, attempting to redirect the conversation.

“Fine,  _ fine _ , I’ll just go on and  _ forget _ that Hiruzen erased Naruto’s parents and the Nine Tails from his entire life,” Kakashi snarked.

Iruka and Asuma both opened their mouths to interrupt, but Kakashi went on without letting them. “ _ Uzumaki _ Naruto is hopeless,” he said, and everyone else in the room stiffened. “He does nothing but make a fool of himself every day, fighting with Sasuke and trying to impress Sakura. He thinks he’s a nobody, and he knows nothing about what it means to be a ninja. Maybe, just maybe, if he knew what an amazing shinobi Sensei— what an amazing shinobi Lord Fourth was, and knew that he was his  _ father _ , Naruto would have someone to look up to and inspire him to be like. Instead he thinks he’s got no one on his side and that he has something to prove to the entire village, even though it’s because of his parents that the village is still standing at all.”

Kakashi glared daggers at the others, Iruka especially. “Is that enough of a report for you, Sensei? Tell Hiruzen I hope he’s satisfied with what he’s done to my kids.”

And Kakashi shushinned out of the building.

Only when he was climbing back into his bed did he realize he had said those brats were  _ his _ kids.

* * *

It was later that same day that Kakashi was  _ again _ interrupted from his cat nap, on his  _ day off _ , by insistent banging on the door.

Again.

Since he’d already been through this song and dance once before, he decided not to put it off. He got himself up from bed and opened the door, surprised to find the one and only Umino Iruka back again. And looking quite displeased with him, if he might add.

“Iruka—”

“Shut up,” Iruka snapped, shoving a handful of papers into Kakashi’s hands. “Just shut up, Kakashi. What you said in that meeting was uncalled for and cruel. You’re talking about children, and for your information, they aren’t  _ yours _ . I practically raised Naruto. You don’t get to- to  _ waltz _ back in here after ten years and—”

“They’re not your  _ children _ anymore,” Kakashi replied coolly, straightening the papers in his hands. “They’re my students now. Soldiers.”

Iruka’s face heated to a furious red. “These are Genin!” He shouted. “They are  _ not _ soldiers. Wake up, Kakashi. We’re not in a war anymore. And if you cared to notice, your ‘kids’ don’t have very many kind words to say to  _ you _ , either. I suggest you take a long, hard look at what they have to say and spend the rest of your time off thinking about how you’re going to fix this come your next training session with them.”

And Iruka slammed Kakashi’s own door on him.

With a sigh, Kakashi lingered by the door until he felt the other man’s chakra get far enough away. Then and only then did he look down at the papers in his hands. In bold letters at the top of each paper were “Jonin-Sensei Evaluations.”

No student names were on the evaluations, but he could tell just by the handwriting. The clean cursive was Sakura’s; the quick, tight letters were Sasuke’s; and the near-illegible chicken scratch was obviously Naruto’s.

He started with Sakura’s paper, expecting the kunoichi to be the fairest and least scathing in her evaluation. But perhaps it was the almost clinical way she listed his faults that made her words so piercing.  _ Kakashi-sensei is never on time. He never says what he wants us to do. He only tells us what we’re doing wrong. He acts like he hates us. He’s not a good teacher.  _

Saskuke’s words were worse.  _ I would literally rather come home every day to find my brother had killed my entire family than go to one more day of training with Kakashi-sensei. I don’t look both ways when I cross the street anymore in the hope that a cabbage merchant will hit me with his cart and I’ll die and then I won’t have to go train with my team. _

Well, Kakashi knew that members of the Uchiha clan had always been dramatic, but even that seemed a bit much. 

But Naruto’s rambling evaluation of his performance was the worst.  _ Kakashi-sensei seemed really weird at first, but then he seemed kind of cool. Except then he ended up being like everyone else. I thought he was actually gonna teach me to be a shinobi who could be Hokage one day, but he treats me like a failure just like everyone else.  _

Kakashi took a few slow breaths. He should never have come back. He should have let Hiruzen’s monkey summons completely destroy Jiraiya’s bookshop. He should have camped out in Ba Sing Se until Lord Third himself came to drag him back to Konoha. 

In hindsight, he knew what he should have done. What was less clear was how he was going to move forward. 

But he still had a day and a half before he would have to face his brat pack again. He’d figure it out.

* * *

Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto knew something was off when Kakashi showed up on time for the first time...well,  _ ever _ . He looked tired, like he hadn’t slept at all the night before, and he was sporting a large travel pack by his feet. 

Naruto, ever the optimist, was the first of the three to speak up. “Kakashi-sensei, are we going on a mission?!” He asked, voice equal parts nervousness and excitement. “A real mission, like outside of the village? I’ve never been outside of the village before, and I really—” He stopped.

Because Kakashi-sensei was laughing.  _ Laughing _ . It was a cold, humorless sound that sent chills down Naruto’s spine. “The three of you? On an actual mission?” Kakashi scoffed. Naruto didn’t know that his sensei could sound like that . “You couldn’t even handle saving cats and weeding gardens.”

Sasuke scowled. “Those aren’t actual missions,” he cut in, glaring daggers at Kakashi. “They’re just errands.”

Kakashi looked unimpressed, but at least he’d stopped laughing. “And you really think if you can’t handle running errands, you’re ready for real missions?”

“Well,” Naruto said, “maybe if you actually  _ trained _ us instead of being late all the time—”

“Naruto,” Sakura chided. “Don’t be rude.”

“But it’s true!” Naruto protested, throwing his hands wildly in the air. Then he pointed an accusing finger at Kakashi. “You’re never on time! We wait here for hours for you! Maybe we’d actually be making real progress if we used the whole day.”

Sasuke crossed his arms. “I hate to say it, but I agree with Naruto.”

“I…” Sakura hugged herself, looking uneasy at the confrontation but at the same time, determined. “I have to agree too, Sensei.”

“Mm, I know,” Kakashi replied coolly. “I read your evaluations.”

Sakura gasped. “Those are supposed to be confidential!” She exclaimed. “You shouldn’t have—”

Kakashi interrupted her. He said, “And I’ve decided.”

All the kids quieted instantly. They all glanced at each other before Naruto tentatively asked, “Decided what, Sensei?”

Kakashi picked up the duffel bag from the ground and slung it over his shoulder. “It seems like we’re on the same page. You don’t like me, and I don’t like you. So I’ve gotten you all reassigned. You’ll be meeting with your new sensei tomorrow morning.” He smiled at them. “I’m leaving. This is goodbye.”

With a puff of smoke, Kakashi disappeared.

He left Team Seven standing dumbfounded.

And then he left Konoha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sometimes yall will get a 5000 word chapter in 2 days, sometimes a 2700 word chapter in a month. even we do not know when we will write. but thank u for being patient !! our lives are busy & we are doing our best to get these out to you <3 let us know what u think in the comments!


	5. Stars Unburdened by the Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hell's Kitchen isn't the same without Gordon Ramsey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am too lazy to reread for errors im sorry -dog

The Genin of Team 7 had assumed there couldn’t be a worse Jonin-sensei in all of Konoha than Hatake Kakashi. It took all five minutes with their newly assigned mentor to realize just how wrong they’d been. 

To make it worse, they’d been hopeful, too. Their new sensei was a waterbender, which made their team wholly balanced with one of each element. It had the potential to be the perfect team rather than one overpowered by firebenders.

Ebisu was a waterbender, yes, but he was also a stickler for the rules, and an all-around human disaster as far as Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto were concerned. If anything, their mutual hatred of their new sensei had given them something to bond over. 

Still, even with their newfound camaraderie, Sakura and Naruto couldn’t hide their surprise when after a particularly brutal (but admittedly only their second) training session, Sasuke asked if the two of them wanted to join him for dango. 

Once they were far away from their Jonin-sensei, Sasuke eyed his squad critically. He knew Sakura was smart, even if she acted stupid half the time. He also knew that Naruto acted stupid all of the time because he really was  _ that stupid.  _ Still, they were his teammates, and he had to work with what he was given. 

“We need to figure out a way to get rid of Ebisu,” the Uchiha said bluntly. 

“You mean, like, kill him?” Naruto asked. 

“Naruto! You’re so stupid,” Sakura scolded, looking to Sasuke approvingly. “Right, Sasuke?”

Sasuke sighed and slouched like the weight of the world was on his twelve-year-old shoulders. No, more like the much heavier weight of Team 7. “Obviously I don’t mean killing him. Just…” He gestured vaguely. “Getting rid of him.”

Both Naruto and Sakura nodded, but he knew neither of them actually understood what he was getting at. Truthfully, Sasuke wasn’t sure what he was trying to say either. But he knew if he was ever going to get strong enough to take on his elder brother, it wasn’t going to happen under Ebisu’s mentorship. 

“Where do you think Kakashi-sensei went?” Naruto blurted out after they’d been walking in silence for some time, now just a few blocks away from the restaurant. 

Sasuke scowled. “He’s not our sensei anymore. And I don’t care.”

“Yes you do! You were just talking about how you don’t like Ebisu.”

“I don’t like anyone,” Sasuke shot back. 

Sakura fidgeted nervously, looking down at her hands. “Do you really think he left because of the evaluations we wrote about him? Iruka-sensei said to be honest and that they were confidential…”

“I just wrote the truth on mine.” Sasuke shrugged.

“Believe it! I meant everything I said!” Naruto agreed, then frowned. “But, uh, I guess I could have been nicer if I’d known Kakashi-sensei was going to read them. I just wrote all the bad stuff because I was mad that day.”

Sasuke scoffed. “What, you really think we hurt his  _ feelings? _ He’s a Jonin, not some stupid kid.” He held the door open for his teammates, waving them into the restaurant. 

None of them were prepared for what hit them. 

What hit them, specifically, was one massive blur of green.

Each student was gripped in a bone-crushing hug that lifted all three of them off their feet, and immediately crocodile tears began raining down on them.

“Students!” The man sobbed, loudly. “Precious students! You break my youthful heart!”

Sasuke was the first to try to writhe free, but the green-clad stranger had a surprisingly strong grip. “Let me  _ go _ ,” he snarled, but the man seemed unphased.

“Who  _ are _ you?” Naruto shouted, peering up through the rainfall of tears. His eyes immediately zeroed in on incredibly bushy, bushy eyebrows. “Bushy brows!?”

“This isn’t  _ Lee _ , idiot.” Sakura sighed. “Please, put us down!”

The man finally seemed to break out of his… mourning and came to his senses. He dropped the three of them, gently, although the tears didn’t slow. 

Another, albeit smaller, green blur came into sight. “Bushy brows!” Naruto exclaimed. Though he’d been a year older than them in the academy, Lee had been rather hard to miss. 

Lee stood beside the almost identical version of himself. “Naruto! It is very nice to see you again!” Lee’s cheerful attitude suddenly turned very somber. “I’ve heard of the struggles with your sensei.”

At the mention of their sensei, Taller Lee began weeping much, much more fiercely. 

Sasuke wiped the waterworks from his face. “Do you mind telling us who this is?” He motioned towards the adult.

Said adult straightened immediately. “I am Maito Gai!” He announced. “Sensei to the most splendid group of Genin and Eternal Rival to the hippest shinobi!” 

Team 7 looked at each other warily. Sasuke was the unfortunate soul who asked, “And what does that have to do with us?”

Gai began weeping, again. “My rival!” He repeated, as if any of them knew who that was. “He’s gone again! While I was shocked to hear that he had returned to become a Jonin-sensei, I refuse to believe he was so horrible to you all! I was not even able to challenge him before he left!”

Sasuke glanced to Naruto and Sakura. It seemed they were all wondering the same thing. Was this strange man the reason Kakashi-sensei had left a decade ago?

“Kakashi-sensei?” Nartuo asked. “He’s your friend?”

“My  _ friend?  _ He is my best friend! He has been since the Springtimes of our Youth!”

Sakura rubbed her arm. She felt like they were receiving strange looks, but neither Gai nor Lee seemed to notice. Glancing around, she didn’t  _ see _ anyone looking at them, as if this were a normal occurrence.

Sasuke looked unimpressed, to say the least. “He never mentioned you.”

Gai and Lee both were openly weeping, now. Simultaneously, they said, “It is not so!”

“Can we sit down?” Sakura suggested. “Or go somewhere quieter?”

Just as quickly as they had begun to cry, the green shinobi stopped. “Oh, of course,” Gai agreed. He was already ushering them to a table to sit. “Come! Join Lee and I in some of the world’s best dango!”

Team Seven was corralled to the table, each of them reluctantly taking a seat. “So you’ve known Kakashi-sensei since you were kids?” Naruto asked, after they all ordered more dango for the table.

Gai nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! We were in the same class together! He was a genius, and I was deadlast. I admired his Youthfulness so greatly that I declared him my rival!”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “I don’t see it.”

“It’s true!” Lee defended. Before he could continue, Gai set a hand reassuringly on Lee’s shoulder.

“I am sure,” Gai said, “that you will believe me when we ask Kakashi ourselves.”

“Um.” Naruto cleared his throat uneasily. “Kakashi-sensei left.”

“And he’ll return again,” Gai countered.

Sasuke had never been an optimist, and now hardly seemed like the time to shift perspective. “Says who? He didn’t even want to come back here the first time. And I don’t think the Third Hokage can convince him to come back again.”

Gai laughed loudly. “Lord Third isn’t going to be the one to convince him!”

The Genin exchanged confused glances with each other. Surely Gai wasn’t implying….?

“You three are going to come with me and bring Kakashi back!” Gai declared. 

For once, Team Seven was in total agreement. “Absolutely not!”

* * *

After stuffing their faces with dango and weighing their rather lackluster options, Team Seven came to the conclusion that leaving Konoha to track down Kakashi-sensei was their best bet—although it was mostly thanks to Gai’s enthusiastic encouragement. 

Once they decided that they were actually going to go after their sensei, time was of the essence given that Kakashi had a few days’ headstart on them. They split up to get their travel bags ready, then met at the village’s main gate half an hour later. 

“Alright!” Gai exclaimed loudly. “It’s time for us to embark on our Youthful adventure together. My Eternal Rival’s got a head start, but I reckon we can catch up with him by tomorrow afternoon!”

The three Genin blinked at the Jonin-sensei. “But we don’t even know which way he went,” Sakura finally ventured. 

Gai surveyed the paths leading away from the village for the briefest of moments before pointing and declaring, “He went that way!” He then immediately broke into a breakneck sprint, speeding away into the distance.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura exchanged quick glances. Gai was already becoming a distance dot on the horizon at an alarming pace. If they were going to do this, they needed to decide quickly. The choice, however, seemed obvious, if not already made.

“Okay, this guy’s crazy,” Sasuke said quietly. Naruto and Sakura nodded in agreement, so he continued on. “And either he’s going to find Kakashi-sensei and help us drag him back, or he’s not and we at least get a few days away from Ebisu. It’s a win-win.”

It most definitely wasn’t a win-win. They were abandoning their current sensei, leaving the village without permission, and putting their trust in an unfamiliar shinobi. If they didn’t return with Kakashi-sensei, there would undoubtedly be steep consequences for the three of them. 

However, nothing seemed as bad as facing Ebisu again tomorrow morning. 

So they took off after Maito Gai, immediately regretting the headstart they’d let him obtain. All bizarre, quirky appearances and behaviors aside, the man was as fast as lightning, and he wasn’t slowing down for the three Genin trailing behind him. 

Sleep didn’t seem to be something Gai required either. They didn’t stop at all that first night, and none of the kids wanted to be the first to show weakness. Sasuke assumed that Naruto would crack first and demand they stop for breakfast, but his dead last excuse for a teammate seemed determined to keep pace with the Jonin leading them. Even Sakura looked uncharacteristically determined. 

Eventually, though, the Genin were all able to convince Gai to stop the second night to rest. The Jonin encouraged them all to do a few hours of crossfit with him before bed, which they hastily declined in favor of getting some actual sleep. Thankfully, Gai accepted their rejection and went about his thing quietly.

As for the  _ normal _ ones in the group, they all fell asleep in minutes.

* * *

While Kakashi had been eager to leave Konoha, he wasn’t as enthused about returning to Ba Sing Se. It would mean facing Jiraiya and probably having to fend off whatever summons Hiruzen sent to try and drag him back. But he’d made up his mind. 

With Pakkun to keep him company, he was taking a slow trip back. After dealing with three whiny children for a few weeks, Kakashi figured he deserved some peace and quiet. 

Except the moment he finally closed his eyes to sleep that night, he could hear them—Sakura yelling at Naruto; Sasuke rolling his eyes so hard it was almost audible. He just assumed it was some auditory hallucination forcing him to relieve the terrible few weeks he’d spent with the Genin.

But when he heard someone bellowing about the Power of Youth, he knew it was unfortunately real. 

Pakkun seemed to know, too, but neither of them were eager to confront the source of the sound. The children were easy enough to shake, but Maito Gai? The Great Beast of Konoha himself? “Giving up” wasn’t in Gai’s vocabulary. Kakashi knew that first hand, and that was ten years ago. He didn’t even want to think about what Gai was capable of  _ now _ .

As Kakashi did with many things, he ignored it at first. The yelling quieted until all he could hear were the soft chirps of crickets and frog song. But he still knew they were there. Ingrained in him like instinct, he could feel, just barely, the weight of them against the earth, the vibrations of their breathing traveling until it reached his fingertips. (And it wasn’t necessarily that he wanted to feel it, either. It wasn’t exactly him who had the ability to sense the movements of the earth, and yet, it was him all the same.)

Again, he ignored it, shoved the idea—the knowledge, the  _ burden _ —to the far corners of his mind. He had more immediate problems to deal with.

As was Pakkun’s typical response to Kakashi’s antics, the flat-faced pug just sighed and gave the Jonin a disgruntled look. “How ya gonna play this, boss? They’re not that far away.”

Kakashi was confident his Genin were sound asleep, but he still shot Pakkun a warning look. The pug did have a point, though. It may have seemed like further in this densely wooded area, but Kakashi was very aware that the kids were less than half a mile from him. And since Gai was with them, they’d catch up to him as soon as they were all awake. If he hurried, they might not catch up to him until an hour or two past sunrise. But that was a lot of effort to outrun the inevitable—although he was quite good at that, too.

So he did the one thing he could think of. 

Team Seven was all abruptly awoken by an incredibly loud shout (even when compared to Gai’s normal volume of speech) of, “ _ My Rival!!” _ All three shot up to see smoke dissipating from the dead center of their camp, where a familiar figure and a little dog stood.

Kakashi clicked his tongue. “If I were an enemy, you three would all be dead,” he chided. But his cool, cocky demeanor quickly changed when Gai tackled him full force.

The fire clone disappeared in a heated, smoky puff. Gai whirled around to where Kakashi dropped down from the tree branches. “You never change, Gai,” he remarked, almost fondly. “What’s that put our score at?”

Gai was beaming, tears streaming from his face. “15 to 14, your lead, Rival!” He replied. With his sleeve, he wiped his tears. “I’ve missed you! You have to come back!” He looked at the three Genin, nodding for them to continue. 

“Yeah, uh, you’re a better sensei than Ebisu!” Sakura said, the first of the three to be able to string together a coherent thought after the spectacle they’d just seen.

“But barely,” Sasuke added under his breath.

“I’m flattered,” Kakashi drawled. “Truly touched. We should just, uh, head on back to Konoha. Right now.”

“Just like that?” Naruto asked suspiciously. All of Team Seven looked at each other as if they knew something was up, but their sensei was quick to put their doubts to rest.

“Well, the four of us will have to head to Ba Sing Se first,” Kakashi clarified. “Gai, you should head back to Konoha now. You have your own Genin team to worry about.” Before Gai could burst into tears again, he added, “We won’t be far behind you. You can tell Lord Third we’ll all be back soon.”

“And then we can resume our Youthful Challenges?” Gai asked.

With three quarters of his face covered, it was easy to sell a convincing performance. “Of course,” Kakashi said without hesitation. 

Konoha’s Green Beast wrapped him in another bone-bruising hug. “I look forward to it greatly!” he declared. “I shall head back and tell everyone that my Eternal Rival is coming home. Until you return, Rival!” Suddenly and with great enthusiasm, Gai crushed Kakashi in a bear hug—the real Kakashi, this time, not a clone—before he sprinted off into the distance.

Sakura immediately turned to Kakashi. “Can we go back to sleep now?”

Kakashi resisted the urge to let out a heavy sigh. “One of you needs to keep watch,” he pointed out. 

“Yeah, well, Gai-sensei was keeping watch before,” Naruto tried.

“Gai was asleep,” Kakashi said dryly. 

“We didn’t say he was doing a good job,” Sasuke snarked. 

“And remind me, why was it Gai’s job to look after you lot? He’s not your sensei.”

“ _ You _ abandoned us!”

“And you got reassigned.”

“To someone worse than you!”

Kakashi simply shrugged. “You could have asked for another reassignment.”

Sakura spoke up then. “Can we not fight?” She asked quietly. “It’s been a really long day. I’ll take first watch if it’s that big a deal.”

This time, Kakashi didn’t stifle his sigh. It was a bit shameful to realize that a child was being more responsible than him. He waved at his Genin to return to their sleeping bags. “I’ll get watch. You three get some sleep. I’m sure Gai wasn’t easy on any of you.”

“Tch. Finally, something you say is reasonable,” Sasuke grumbled, but Naruto and Sakura both loudly protested his rudeness.

“Forgive him, Sensei,” Sakura apologized, shoving Sasuke towards his sleeping bag with one hand and Naruto with the other. “He’s just tired.”

It seemed to Kakashi that the boys were better off without any more of his input for tonight, so with a little nod to Sakura, he took off into the trees. Pakkun, meanwhile, waited until Naruto was in his sleeping bag before curling up against the boy’s legs. Kakashi briefly wondered if the kid smelled like Minato.

Within minutes, Kakashi could sense that Naruto and Sasuke were asleep. He could also tell that Sakura was tossing and turning. Sleeping on the cold ground in a thin sleeping bag wasn’t comfortable, but he’d assumed all three Genin would be tired enough that it wouldn’t matter much. With time, assuming they made it as shinobi, they’d get better at seizing whatever opportunities for rest they got.

It surprised him when he sensed Sakura get out of her sleeping bag and make her way towards him. For a young earthbender, she was good at keeping her footsteps light. Another Genin, maybe even a Chunin, wouldn’t have noticed her approach. 

But Kakashi was a Jonin, and it was impossible not to sense her presence. She idled beneath his tree for a few minutes, seemingly weighing whether she should join him or not. For what it was worth, Kakashi pretended he didn’t notice her, so that she could decide on her own. Really, it seemed like Sakura needed more experience in making her own decisions.

Ultimately, she did begin to walk up the tree, channeling the chakra to her feet perfectly. He would have been proud, except he knew he had no involvement in shaping her ability—it was all natural talent.

“Kakashi-sensei?” Sakura called quietly.

Kakashi waved to her from his perch on a higher branch. “Mm, right here. Shouldn’t you be asleep?”

He watched as Sakura climbed further up the tree in the near-darkness. Without her teammates’ presence, it was like watching a different kunoichi. Her movements were purposeful and strong as she pulled herself up to sit on the branch next to him, reminding him of a certain Sannin.

“What is it?” He asked as she came to settle on the branch beside him.

“Sensei…” she started, biting her lower lip. “I just wanted to say that… that I’m sorry for what I wrote about you. In those reviews.”

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Sakura continued, almost urgently.

“I was mad. Iruka-sensei came to us right after that day you were teaching us more bending styles, and I just wasn’t getting it. I know you said that it’s good to incorporate more styles than just your own into your bending, but I feel like I don’t even know how to earthbend, let alone how to use waterbending techniques with my earthbending. And… and I learn better if you explain stuff, y’know? Not just tell me what I’m not doing right. So… I was really mean, in my review. I’m sorry.”

With a pang of guilt, Kakashi realized he wasn’t even sure what day Sakura was talking about. His experience with Team Seven had blurred in his memory to resemble one long montage of frustrations, failures, and disappointments. In a way, it resembled his own experience in a Genin squad before Minato-sensei had found the right approach to mentoring the three of them.

“Sakura,” he started, “you weren’t wrong. Neither was Naruto, or Sasuke… although he was a little… dramatic. But I haven’t been a good sensei to you. To any of you. And I should be the one apologizing for that.”

The girl opened her mouth, looking like she was ready to protest, but Kakashi raised his hand to stop her. “I know the way I left was abrupt and probably not what you were expecting. But I didn’t do it because I was hurt by what any of you said. I never thought I would be a Jonin-sensei, and honestly, I never wanted to be. I came into it with a poor attitude and that reflected in how I trained you all.”

Kakashi took a deep breath and looked up through the trees. The stars were shining brightly tonight, unburdened by the light of the moon. “I thought that, by reassigning you to a new sensei, you would have better opportunities to learn and grow as shinobi.”

“Kakashi-sensei…” Sakura started. Her voice sounded tight, almost as if she was trying not to cry. She hugged his side, fiercely. He tensed, but recognized that his student needed the comfort and allowed it.

“It’s alright,” he soothed. “I was just running from my responsibility as your sensei.” He quieted for a few minutes, letting the thoughts settle between them, and Sakura didn’t say anything either.

Eventually, Kakashi sighed softly. “I guess that’s just what I do best. Running away.”

He said it to the night air. Gently, he pulled his arm out from under his sleeping student, instead lifting her. He stood with her in his arms and jumped down from the branch. The air rushed up to meet him, guiding him gently to the forest floor.

He settled Sakura into her sleeping bag to let her rest before returning to his branch. They had a long day of traveling tomorrow to get to Ba Sing Se, so he would let his students rest, especially after Gai undoubtedly pushed them to their limits.

A few hours before dawn, Pakkun jumped up beside him.

“Go to sleep, Kakashi,” the pug rumbled. “I’ll keep watch.”

Kakashi smiled and gave his smallest ninken a little pat on the head. “Yeah, I’ll do that.”

The Jonin moved to jump back down, but Pakkun said, “Oh, and Kakashi?”

He turned. “Mm?”

“Maybe it’s time to stop running.”

Kakashi sighed and looked at his Genin, sleeping soundly below. His Genin, who had tracked him down to bring him back for whatever their reasons, something no one else had done for him before.

“Maybe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> emphasis on "maybe" :)  
> follow us on our tumblrs! [dogloser](http://doggoneloser.tumblr.com/) | [adolescentlycan](http://adolescentlycan.tumblr.com/)


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